The ASCO Cancer Foundation will soon begin accepting
applications for three types of awards created by the ASCO
Diversity in Oncology Initiative and funded by Susan G. Komen for
the Cure®. The awards support the program's goals of
addressing the lack of diversity in the oncology workforce and
obstacles to oncology care in underserved communities. Applications
for the Loan Repayment Program (LRP) will open on September
16. Applications for the Medical Student Rotation (MSR) and
Resident Travel Award (RTA) will open on October 31.
Medical Student Rotation Award
The Medical Student Rotation Award provides an 8- to 10-week
clinical or research oncology rotation for U.S. medical students
from underrepresented populations. Applicants must be enrolled in a
U.S. allopathic or osteopathic medical school and be from an
underrepresented population as defined by the eligibility criteria.
Recipients are paired with a mentor who provides ongoing academic
and career guidance. Each medical student receives a $5,000 stipend
for the rotation plus $1,500 for future travel to the ASCO Annual
Meeting. The student's mentor receives $2,000.
Amanda Adeleye, one of six medical students who received a
Medical Student Rotation Award in 2010, was a first-year student at
Columbia when she applied. The award allows the student to choose a
mentor, so Ms. Adeleye picked Vincent L. Cryns, MD, of Northwestern
University, a cancer researcher with whom she had worked for a
summer after her freshman year in college. Cryns directs the
physician scientist training program at the Feinberg School of
Medicine and also sees patients with breast cancer in a clinic at
the SUCCEED Breast Cancer Survivorship Program.
Ms. Adeleye reports that during her rotation she "did a mix of
research in the lab and seeing patients for 2 days each week." She
says that one of her most significant experiences during the
rotation was a patient visit she participated in. "We met a woman
who had been diagnosed with breast cancer a few days earlier. It
was a quiet, powerful, humbling experience just to be there when
someone is beginning to fight the fight of her life." Adeleye plans
a career in academic oncology.
Resident Travel Award
The Resident Travel Award provides financial support for
residents from underrepresented populations to attend the ASCO
Annual Meeting. Applicants must be residents in an ACGME-accredited
residency program and must demonstrate an interest in pursuing
oncology as a career. The award includes complimentary meeting
registration and a $1,500 travel advance.
Frank Akwaa, MD, was one of 13 award recipients who received a
Resident Travel Award and attended the 2010 Annual Meeting in
Chicago. He was in his final residency year at Johns Hopkins at
that time and has recently started his oncology fellowship at the
University of Rochester.
Dr. Akwaa had never attended the ASCO Annual Meeting before and
says, "It was a great experience for me. Next time I go I'll know
how to navigate it."
He explained that mentors assigned as part of the award
suggested sessions to attend and says, "I went to all of them and
was glad I did."
Dr. Akwaa's advice to future applicants is "if you have the
opportunity, jump on it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I
learned so much about current research and what options there are
for careers in oncology."
Loan Repayment Program
The Loan Repayment Program provides repayment of qualifying
educational debt to oncologists or oncology fellows who commit to
practicing oncology in a medically underserved region of the United
States (as designated by the U.S. Health Resources and Services
Administration as a Health Professional Shortage Area or Medically
Underserved Area). Applicants must be an Associate or Active ASCO
member or submit a membership application with the award
application. The program will repay up to $35,000 per year for 2
years (up to $70,000 total) of qualifying education debt.
Brooke Gillett, DO, was among three physicians who received an
award in the Loan Repayment Program. After completing her
fellowship at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Gillett
joined Oncology Hematology Associates in Springfield, Missouri. She
had decided she wanted to practice in a smaller community before
she saw a poster about the ASCO Loan Repayment Program in the
fellowship office. "I wanted to live in a smaller community, I
wanted to be busy, and I love going where I'm really needed and it
will be really fulfilling."
Her practice serves patients in all of southern Missouri and in
northern Arkansas. She says that without access to oncology care in
Springfield, patients would have to drive 6 hours to St. Louis.
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How to Apply
For application forms and complete application criteria for all
three awards, visit The ASCO Cancer Foundation website at
www.ascocancerfoundation.org and click on "Awards."
Selected portions reprinted from ASCO News & Forum. ©
American Society of Clinical Oncology. ("ASCO's Diversity in
Oncology Initiative." ASCO News & Forum, October 2009: 26-31).
All rights reserved.
This article is a corrected version of the original article
in the printed edition of The ASCO Post.
